International

Worsening world hunger affects 821 million: UN

by Philippe RATER UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — More than 821 million people suffered from hunger worldwide last year, the United Nations reported Monday — the third year in a row that the number has risen. After decades of decline, malnutrition began to increase in 2015, mainly because of climate change and war. Reversing the trend is one of the 2030 targets of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals which aim to improve the planet […]

Twitter revamps website in bid to mimic mobile app

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) — Twitter on Monday began rolling out an overhauled version of its website, making it more similar to the mobile version of the one-to-many messaging platform. The revamp to the Twitter page accessible on computer web browsers comes as the San Francisco-based company seeks to ramp up engagement while managing abusive content. “We are starting to roll out a new  Twitter.com — a refreshed and updated website that is faster, easier to navigate […]

Mexico rejects new US asylum restrictions

  MEXICO CITY (AFP) — Mexico on Monday rejected new asylum restrictions sought by US President Donald Trump to stem the flow of undocumented migrants trying to cross the neighbors’ shared border. Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said Mexico would not become a dumping ground for asylum seekers rejected by the US, adding that his country would at the same time respect its obligation not to return refugees to danger zones. The move announced by the […]

White House moves to block asylum for migrants crossing Mexico

By Paul Handley Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, D.C. (AFP) — The Trump administration moved Monday to declare most migrants who cross the US southern border after passing through Mexico ineligible for asylum. A new rule redefining asylum eligibility — to take effect on Tuesday — is the latest attempt to stem the flow of undocumented migrants into the country, and comes amid White House frustration at Congress’s failure to toughen immigration laws. “The United States is […]

At least 50 dead in Nepal’s monsoon

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AFP) — Floods and landslides caused by torrential monsoon rains have killed at least 50 people across Nepal while dozens more are missing, officials said Sunday. Northeast India has also been hit by floods with 11 deaths recorded as rivers burst their banks. Heavy rains since Thursday have hit several districts in Nepal, especially in the country’s eastern region and the southern plains, affecting thousands. Nepal police spokesman Bishwaraj Pokharel said 33 people […]

Watch: (Eagle News video) Hong Kong clashes that turned violent inside a mall as protests vs extradition bill continue

    In this video taken by the Eagle News team headed by EBC correspondent Kit Wong in Hong Kong, clashes between riot police and protesters turned violent inside the New Town Plaza Mall in Sha Tin late Sunday evening, July 14, 2019. The protest rallies against the controversial extradition bill did not abate even as the Hong Kong parliament suspended the bill. Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam said on July 9 that “the […]

Deadly monsoon destroys 5,000 shelters in Bangladesh Rohingya camps

by Sam JAHAN BALUKHALI, Bangladesh (AFP) — At least 10 people have died and thousands of shanty homes have been destroyed by monsoon rains in overcrowded Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh’s southeast, officials said Sunday. Bangladesh’s meteorological department said the Cox’s Bazar district — home to nearly one million Rohingya Muslims who have fled a military crackdown in Myanmar — has seen at least 58.5 centimeters (nearly two feet) of rain since July 2. An […]

Small-aircraft crash kills nine in Sweden

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AFP) — Nine people died Sunday when a small aircraft being used for tourism crashed in northwest Sweden, the regional authority said. “The nine people on board are dead,” Gabriella Bandling, spokeswoman for the Vaesterbotten region, told AFP. She did not say who they were. According to Swedish media reports, the plane was carrying people for a parachute jump but crashed a little after 2:00 pm (1200 GMT). The plane, a GippsAero GA8 […]

Mall clashes at latest Hong Kong anti-extradition march

  by Elaine YU Agence France Presse HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Riot police and protesters fought running battles in a Hong Kong shopping mall Sunday night as unrest caused by a widely loathed plan to allow extraditions to mainland China showed no sign of abating. Police used pepper spray and batons against small groups of protesters, who responded by hurling bottles and other projectiles, in a night of fresh violence in the international hub. […]

Barry weakens, but US officials warn of heavy rains, floods, tornadoes

by Michael Mathes MANDEVILLE, United States (AFP) — Barry weakened further on Sunday as the storm churned across the US state of Louisiana, bringing along heavy rains and the possibility of flooding and tornadoes. There have been no reported deaths so far in Louisiana or neighboring states from Barry, which had briefly become the first hurricane of the Atlantic season before the National Hurricane Center downgraded it to a tropical storm and then a tropical […]

Major 7.3 quake hits remote Malukus in eastern Indonesia

  LABUHA, Indonesia (AFP) — A major 7.3-magnitude earthquake hit the remote Maluku islands in eastern Indonesia Sunday, sending panicked residents running into the streets, but no tsunami warning was issued. The shallow quake struck about 165 kilometres (100 miles) south-southwest of the town of Ternate in North Maluku province at 6:28 pm (0928 GMT), according to the US Geological Survey. “The earthquake was quite strong, sending residents to flee outside. They are panicking and […]

26 killed in deadly Somalia hotel siege

by Mustafa HAJI ABDINUR MOGADISHU, Somalia (AFP) — Twenty-six people were killed and 56 injured in a 12-hour attack by Al-Shabaab jihadists on a popular hotel that ended early Saturday in the southern Somali port city of Kismayo. A suicide bomber rammed a vehicle loaded with explosives into the Medina hotel on Friday before several heavily armed gunmen forced their way inside, shooting as they went, authorities said. It was the largest coordinated attack by […]